“Oh to have a country singer running the country” might seem like a cheesy Nashville song title but if Taylor Swift ran for Taoiseach she’d have my vote.

This week, Swift struck a blow for workers demanding they should never be asked to work for free while our Minister for Social Protection has devised schemes to achieve the exact opposite.

Funny old world where a multi-millionaire singing star is championing the rights of workers while Joan Burton, the leader of a supposedly socialist party, sees nothing wrong with so-called interns toiling behind our deli counters for no pay.

Taylor Swift was outraged that Apple was demanding struggling musicians go without pay for three months as the company set up its music streaming system.

The singer said: “Three months is a long time to go unpaid” adding that it is, “unfair to ask anyone to work for nothing”.

Three months without pay? That’s nothing. Here we have highly-qualified young people pumping gas in filling stations for nine months and not getting a cent for their labour, thanks to Labour’s JobBridge.

“Oh to have a country star running the country” – but unfortunately we don’t. Instead we have an austerity angel who appears determined to keep the poor in their place.

My 14-year-old son has become interested in politics and recently asked me to explain the difference between conservative and liberal in the US sense and what it means to be right or left wing.

On the US front it’s simple enough, but when it comes to this country it’s impossible when you have a supposedly socialist party pushing policies which would not be out of place in Maggie Thatcher’s Britain.

Margaret Thatcher (Image: Mirrorpix)

How do I explain to Jamie that a fabulously-wealthy pop princess like Taylor Swift would be far too left wing for the Irish Labour party?

Swift will never want for money and has little to gain financially by taking on the might of Apple, the richest company in history.

But the 25-year old, if not a socialist, obviously has a social conscience and used her position – she has 53 million Twitter followers – to help those who are struggling to survive in the cut-throat music industry.

Then again she did release a single called Red three years ago, while yesterday the party that might once have described themselves red declared war on single parents.

As of next week, the One Parent Family Payment is being cut for single parents whose youngest child is over the age of seven.

This is a vicious, cruel, mean and spiteful attack on some of the most vulnerable people in the country by a government that appears intent on looking after the rich – and themselves.

Joan, the archangel of austerity, knows one-parent families suffer the highest rates of child poverty in the country but she still insists on going ahead with this dreadful measure.

On the other hand there is not a peep out of the Labour party at the recent disclosure that State bank IBRC gave write-down deals totalling almost €1.2billion to 40 elite individuals.

According to Karen Kiernan, chief executive of One Family, the organisation for people parenting alone, tens of thousands will lose between €100 and €30 per week.

Overall, the transition from One Parent Family Payment to the Job Seekers Transition Payment will see more than 30,000 parents lose one parent family payments.

The austerity angel believes those lazy lone parents must be “activated” into the workforce, even if it means leaving seven-year-old children on their own.

Of course the Austerity Angel had pledged to deliver a “Scandinavian model” of childcare before bringing in these radical changes – but we know all about Labour and promises.

Actually there’s more chance of a Scandinavian model pulling up in a sports car outside my house to invite me to fly on her private jet to watch the Northern Lights as there is of Austerity Angel delivering on that promise.

But back to Apple, did you know the iPhone giant could owe us €19billion if the EU rules Ireland did a tax avoidance deal that amounted to state aid?

It’s true, only trouble is the Government don’t want a sum which could bankroll the health service for over a year because it might offend tax-dodging multinational overlords.

There's a message in the bottle

Just back from Fuerteventura where the sun always shines and wine flows free.... well almost.

Well-known brands of wine, including good quality Rioja, which sells here for anything up to €15 can be picked there for under €5 and then the Government go on about the sale of cheap alcohol here.

Now the shower that can’t supply free medical treatment to terminally-ill children are so concerned about our health they intend to put warning labels on cans and bottles.

While they’re at it they should also put a sticker showing how much is taken in tax and duty with the heading “Danger: Drinking in Ireland can seriously damage your finances”.

Ricky Gervais and Simon Cowell on campaign to stop dog meat festival

FAIR play to Ricky Gervais and Simon Cowell who have led a campaign to stop the appalling treatment of cats and dogs at the barbaric Yulin dog meat festival in China.

The pair have used their celebrity status to highlight the slaughter of thousands of domestic pets - many of which have been stolen from their owners.

In neighbouring Nepal they do things differently, there they also kill their dogs with kindness and during the Tihar festival they are treated as gods.

Cows and water buffalo ain’t so lucky, they are slaughtered in their thousands.

Let's hope the jokes not on us

Tricky hand for Gilmore and Kenny

“You've got to know when to hold ‘em, Know when to fold ‘em, Know when to walk away. And know when to run”, goes the Kenny Rogers song The Gambler.

All government ministers and senior public servants must be made listen to this little ditty before they participate in any negotiations with our EU overlords.’

The Greeks certainly know how play poker but even though the IMF and ECB appear to hold all the aces they’re not sure if they have something, maybe even a Derringer, up their sleeves.

How can we forget the time our Taoiseach and then Tanaiste went to Brussels three years ago this week and poor Eamon Gilmore thought his hand was a “game-changer” when everyone at the table knew they were dealing with a pair of jokers.

Name of the game gets even harder

Irish soccer clubs are shortly set to do battle in European competition, but getting around some of the names of the teams they face might be as difficult as getting to the next round.

Should St Pat’s get by Skonto Riga they will face either Debrecen or Sutjeske in the second round, while UCD is up against F91 Dudelange who sound more like an US fighter aircraft than a football team.

If Shamrock Rovers are to progress they’ll have to beat Progres Niederkorn of Luxembourg where they could meet the wonderfully named Norwegian side Odds Ballkubbs.

Hidden face of the loan arranger

The Government is set to take on the moneylenders offering loans of up to €1,000 which is seen as a good move.

The plan will see loans being approved within an hour with just minor credit checks, which is also a positive step.

Even better is the news that interest rates of no more than 12% will be applied on the loans compared to rates as high as 188% being charged by private lenders.

So let’s get this straight, the Government is encouraging you to take out loans with few credit checks and low interest rates - there has to be a catch.

There is. You’ll have to borrow the money to pay your water and property tax which will be well over e1,000 in the not-too-distant future.